Morning, all.

I recently aquired a Marlin 1894 levergun in .44 magnum. It is a pre-safety model serial number 71 178XXX, putting it in 1971 manufacture. I tore it apart last night and did a complete cleaning/inspection. All the parts fit together well and seem to move and cycle in the manner intended. The machining looked a little rough on several of the parts, and I may polish that stuff up the longer I own this firearm, but fit and form wise it was AOK. I haven't confirmed by cycleing a tube full of rounds through yet, because I haven't gotten around to seating bullets into uncharged brass just yet. That'll be done next time I get a free couple hours.

All that said, I'm almost sure that the lever and feed ramp are replacements or aftermarket of some sort. The reason I say this is fourfold:

1) The "point" of the lever where it meets the feed ramp is not sharp at all like I would have expected, or even slightly rounded like it would be if the fix for the marlin jam would have been completed. That entire end of the lever is pretty well rounded. Of course, after 35 years, it may well have rounded itSELF off :) If I can find some free hosting space for images, I'll try to post one.

2) The lever is just slightly thinner than the slot into which the lever fits. A reasonable amount of looseness would be expected for smooth funtion, but my 336 levers are not as loose as this one. The 1894 lever shifts side to side just slightly, and I mean JUST SLIGHTLY. Again, after 35 years of use, this could just be standard wear and tear and it still functions fine so is of minimal concern.

3) There is no line or mark of any sort on the feed ramp where I have read that I should have expected the lever to peen into the softer metal. Of course, with how rounded off the lever is, it probably wouldn't make a mark, but if it was original I would have expected SOMEthing there before the lever was either modified or replaced...

4) The trigger doesn't stop moving back when squeezed until it "taps" the lever. The hammer falls before the trigger touches the lever, but the trigger continues to "pull through" until it stops by making contact with the lever, making an audible click.


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So now I have some questions:

First, is the marlin jam sharp lever problem something that only newer manufacture leverguns have? Or is the lever shape and clean underside of the feed ramp definitely indicative of replacement parts being used on this specific marlin?

Is it normal for the trigger to contact the lever when pulled? I wouldn't expect this, but I didn't expect the trigger to flop when I bought my first new Marlin either ;)

Anyone know what the twist rate is on these older marlins? 1:38? More curious than anything. I intend to shoot 240 grain SP jacketted bullets for the most part, with the occasional diet of the same weight in cast, so the barrel twist really shouldn't make a difference for my usage.

Ok. Thanks in advance, guys. Have at it!!

Epoch

To answer some of your questions;
Yes, the twist rate is 1:38, something Marlin doesn't want to ever change.
I don't know about the trigger, but you might check out leverguns.com, and download the exploded views of your 1894: http://www.leverguns.com/exploded_view/images/marlin93_94_95.jpg
accurizing your levergun by Paco Kelly:
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/chapter23.htm
and tuning and fixing the Marlin jam at Marauder's site:
http://www.marauder.homestead.com/files/TUNING_M_1894.htm

You might also want to check out marlinowners.com.
It sounds like your new .44 Marlin has been worked on before, and you may need to just start replacing old parts, like the carrier and springs, rocker assembly, lever, etc. Such was the case with my 1976 .44 Marlin that I bought as a project gun several years ago, but you'll have to decide that after getting the info you need.
Hope this helps, and good luck.
SFT

I guess the main thing I was wondering (and I wasn't very clear on this) was if the trigger normally reaches, and clicks against, the lever when it's depressed. My 336 trigger stops shy of the lever. I'd expect that would be the correct behavior. Just wanting to confirm before I spend TOO much time checking over the details of why this is allowed to happen. I figure I'll rig up a trigger stop at some point just to make it "right."

Of course, any other comments on the above are also appreciated :)

I had already read through many of the referenced sights but have now bookmarked the rest. Thanks for those links.

Epoch

I guess the main thing I was wondering (and I wasn't very clear on this) was if the trigger normally reaches, and clicks against, the lever when it's depressed. My 336 trigger stops shy of the lever. I'd expect that would be the correct behavior. Just wanting to confirm before I spend TOO much time checking over the details of why this is allowed to happen. I figure I'll rig up a trigger stop at some point just to make it "right."

Of course, any other comments on the above are also appreciated :)

I had already read through many of the referenced sights but have now bookmarked the rest. Thanks for those links.

Epoch
You are welcome. I think what you are seeing is more a difference on style of grip than a bad trigger. Both my 1894's do the same thing, but my 336's do not. However the shape of some of the parts in your 1894 as you describe don't seem right to me. Did you get a chance to see the picture of the lever and snail shaped cam on it that should receive the polishing to avoid notching the carrier? They all leave the factory with a sharp edge, BTW.